INTERVIEW/QUESTION STRUCTURES
Investigative interviews can be part interrogation, part chess match, and part theatre.The best reporters know that to some extent journalism involves a bit of stage craft , and how you tailor your interview style and approach depends on whom you’re talking to. That’s courtesy Curtis Hubbard, of the Boulder (Colo). Daily Camera
- Know who you are talking to
- Never provide an interviewee with the questions beforehand:
- Small talk before the interview
- Listen carefully:
- Be persistent, but polite
- Don’t be afraid to ask what you might think is a stupid question
- Having a conversation
- Always define the parameters of what is on and off the record:
- Ask for evidence
- Next of kin interview
- Asking for info from lawyers or other officials, for example can often be useful
SHORT PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY
I wanted to experiment myself using a questionnaire, so I decided to use my 2nd documentary idea to experiment with. The idea I had for my Photographic Documentary was to capture images of family photos and the reaction the parents had when I asked them questions about their son - my brother. Adam was brought up the same as all of his siblings- yet he chose another path full of drugs, prison and near death. This Photographic Documentary will explore the impact that he has had on the family and would be shown through decisive moment images and footage, with real life voice recording including an abusive phone message and an interview with his parents. To achieve this I prepared a set of questions: 1. What was Adam like when he was a child? 2. Do you blame yourself for his change? 3. Why do you think he’s so different to your other 4 children? 4. What is the worst memory you have of Adam? 5. What effect has he had on you? 6. What effects has he had on your marriage? 7. Do you think he will ever change? These are leading questions to get the answers that I want for this film. |  |
Unfortunately, I was unable to film the documentary due to the parents not wanting to be interviewed how I planned. So, here is the short video I created on Final Cut Pro using snippets of the phone messages against photographic images of the family.
